Adventures in Baking Balanced with Exercise and Healthy Meals

My name is Carly, and I am married to a chef. The typical first response I get when I mention this is “you are so lucky, you probably never have to cook”. Only half of that statement is true, however – the lucky part. My husband is wonderful. He is my best friend, the love of my life, and I truly don’t know where I would be without him. BUT, I do have to cook, just about every night in fact. That’s the purpose of my blog, to show the world the amazing food that comes out of my kitchen 🙂

Before Joe:Before I met my husband Joe, I really could only cook a handful of things. I was a very picky eater (and I still am to a point), and made pretty basic foods without much flare. I have always been able to bake like crazy, but cooking was a different story. In May 2006 I got a job serving at a local restaurant to help me get through graduate school. This is where I met Chef Joe, who later became boyfriend Joe, and now husband Joe. Joe got me to try tons of new foods. Before meeting him I would never have tried Greek, Lebanese, or Indian foods. Now, they are some of my favorites. He got me to love mushrooms, tomato sauce, and beans – three things I was convinced I would never like. In the mean time he really sparked my interest for cooking, and has taught me so much about technique and flavor. Now I am not afraid to experiment in the kitchen, and I cook great, healthy food everyday.

Maintaining Balance:

Clearly I love to eat. I don’t think I could survive without coffee, chocolate, and peanut butter. But my other passion is exercise. I got my masters degree in Exercise Science in August 2007. I hit the gym about 6 days a week – cardio all 6 and weights for 4. In the summer I take my workouts outdoors as well. Recently I was able to get Joe to join the gym with me. It is so much fun to have him there with me.

Other Info:

I live in Cleveland, Ohio.

I am obsessed with my West Highland White Terriers – Sawyer and Molly!

I used to be an 8th grade math teacher, but now I’m refiguring out my life – I’m working to get my personal training certification again.

Family is the #1 most important thing in my life.

I got my undergraduate degree at Miami University and my masters at Cleveland State University.

I have a major sweet tooth, which I balance out with healthy eats and lots of exercise.

If you would like to contact me, it’s carly(at)imarriedachef(dot)com – You know how to type that 😉

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16 Responses to “About”

Aw, love the “about me.” I’m so excited that you finally got your blog going. It looks great so far and I love all of the baking. Everything looks + sounds incredible! I really love baking but haven’t done it as much in CO b/c I get nervous with the altitude changes…there is a lot you have to play with! Good luck Carly!!!

I LOVE baking, and I married a chef too! Well, he’s not a real chef but he used to be a pastry chef at one of Emeril’s restaurants here in Orlando. His nickname in college was Chef Adam and he owns a chef’s coat. I didn’t cook as much before we met, now I cook a lot. But I still LOVE to bake the most, I can totally relate! 🙂

I love your philosophy about healthy eating and sweets, too – I agree 100%! Great blog – I found it through Allison at GreenDogWine! I’m a huge baker, though I don’t have as much time for it as I’d like…..instead I’ll just drool over your pictures! 🙂

Hi Carly, I found your blog through Elina (Healthy and Sane) and I’m glad I did. I’m looking forward to reading more! I like that you track your workouts because readers like me can get ideas and also be inspired! Keep up the good work.

Lisa and I missed you at the Geauga Farmer’s Market this weekend. We were prepared to stock up on cookies for the next month or so….I understand that the market has closed for the season.
How can we buy cookies, etc. during the winter? I hate to think we will be deprived of Carly’s Confections for months!!

That’s so sweet! I ended up getting REALLY sick on Friday night and knew that rest was much more important on Saturday morning. If you need some cookies, just let me know. I can meet you somewhere, send them, etc. 🙂 Email me at carly@imarriedachef.com for the exact details! Thanks so much for coming to my stand all summer.